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External sources (not reviewed)

Germany further indicated that a strategic action concept was developed in order to create the necessary infrastructure for further targeted survey.

Slovakia deemed this framework sufficient and did not foresee any new legal instrument.

The Commission was informed of initiatives that were being undertaken by Pacific island developing countries to protect biodiversity and the maintenance of ecosystem services, such as the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in Kiribati, the largest marine protected area in the Pacific Ocean, and the Coral Triangle Initiative, which covered a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, included the greatest extent of mangrove forests in the world and provided a critical spawning and juvenile growth area for tuna and other globally significant fish species.

Emphasis should be placed on enhancing the capabilities of countries of the region to secure sustainable and safe drinking water supplies, urban water development and management strategies as well as issues related to urban and peri-urban drainage and sanitation, the rehabilitation of degraded water ecosystems, research on disappearing water resources, aspects of conflict prevention and resolution in relation to water issues, the creation of subregional water observatories, research in the sustainability of certain ecosystems and in particular of mangrove systems, as well as drawing on local knowledge for the protection of the environment.

[...] [...] continue promotingthe ideals of aculture of peace [...][...]

The report also confirmed once again Israel’s continuing practice of confiscating the private property of Syrian citizens in the occupied Golan, plundering its natural resources, including water resources, and creating settlements throughout the Golan and Palestine, using water as a means of exerting pressure on the Syrian population of the Golan, bulldozing and destroying their land, uprooting their fruit trees, blockading them economically and imposing exorbitant taxes on them, particularly on agricultural workers.

Five major themes of convergence between these three authors were identified during that first informal reflection process: (i) the place of pedagogy in their work, especially through education, experimentation and learning; (ii) nature, in the form of the desire for the search for a new covenant of solidarity between humanity and its environment; (iii) scientific and technological progress, enriched by dialogue with all forms of knowledge; (iv) human rights and democracy in response to colonialism, discrimination and political, economic, social and cultural exclusion; and, lastly (v) art and, in particular, poetry as a form of unique mediation between people and nature, and between individuals and their fellows.

Finally, Major Programme V has set a welcome example by earmarking at least 20% of its regular budget resources for intersectoral engagement, with particular focus on HIV and AIDS; climate change (including education for sustainable development and science education); new knowledge acquisition processes (including ICT-enhanced learning; media and information literacy); diversity and mutual understanding (including multilingualism and heritage preservation); and support to countries in post-conflict and post-disaster situations.

However, now that the relevance of the mainstream news media is being challenged by the rising popularity of alternative sources, news distribution platforms are rapidly multiplying and diversifying and social media tools are revolutionizing the way in which people access and share information, the Committee wonders whether the time has come for the Department of Public Information to assess how it can enhance the responsiveness of its public information activities to the Organization’s needs, how it can bring greater creativity and innovation to its work, and how it can continue to promote the work of the United Nations in a way that is more relevant to the daily lives of individuals all around the world.